Weight of the World
by Panda-x-Penguin
Summary: She had a specific mission, but it wasn't the one Fate had assigned her. Gifted with the knowledge of what was to happen, she was sent to fight alongside a new team to defend the universe. Instead of simply playing her role, Kagome decides to do much more than just that. She's out to save as many lives as she possibly can- even if Fate is against it.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: We don't own either series!

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Chapter 1

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It was frustrating. Pretending and playing oblivious when she _knew_ what was approaching Earth in the impending future. She knew all too well what was coming, but she was unable to say anything about it. Well, even if she could, there was no way whatsoever that she would be taken seriously. Unless she wanted to get tossed into an insane asylum, she had to keep her mouth shut and go on with her life as if she had no indication about the future terror.

Higurashi Kagome. At seventeen years old, she was known by classmates and friends as a level-headed and logical girl. Despite that, even she had her immature moments. After all, she was still just a teenage girl. Like everyone else, she had her interests and her dislikes. She kept a front up, one that was sturdy enough that no one could ever guess the knowledge she held within her head.

When she was fifteen years old, she became accustomed to death and fighting. She adapted well to her situation there. Not out of free will, but because of her desire for survival. Dying at the maw of a demon or ancient monster creature wasn't the way she wanted to go- in any life.

Her life back then was chaotic and unpredictable. Her grades suffered, as did her relationships with school friends. She spent a whole year of her life pursuing and fixing the mistake she had made in the past.

That jewel. _That damned jewel._

The Shikon no Tama had gotten pieced back together, the tedious task pulling together a makeshift group of unlikely companions. At last, once it was back together, she was able to go home- for good.

Or so, she thought.

Fate, on the other hand, had very different plans for her.

She was not able to pick up a normal life.

Fate meddled with her life once more, not even two months following her return to normality. An onslaught of what was to come in the future painted a horrific scene right before her very eyes, leaving her in a state of shock until morning sunrise.

Another war was on the cusp, and she had a place in it. Not that she had a choice. Now that she knew what was coming, she couldn't turn a blind eye to it. That wasn't who she was. If she did, who knew how many more would die.

She knew exactly what she had to do, and she was determined. Nothing could stop her when she set her mind to what she was going to do. She wouldn't surrender. _She wouldn't lose._

She had no other option than to find a way to weasel herself into the Galaxy Garrison. It was actually a lot simpler than she originally assumed it would be, but, then again, she had outside help from the last person she ever expected to see again.

A life of secrecy wasn't what all demons pursued. Sesshomaru, once a widely known and feared ruler of the Warring States, held a position within the Garrison. No surprise- it was high-ranking. Why he did, she had no clue. Then again, she never bothered to ask him when he agreed to be her helping hand.

The older half-brother of the half-demon she was once head over heels for granted her the hand she needed. Of course, he didn't do it for nothing in return, but that was beside the point.

He got her in the place she needed to be, more than willing when she explained her new requirement. He had even taken the leisure to assure her that this wasn't something she needed to handle on her own.

Just like back then, when they faced off against Naraku, they would reclaim that title as allies in the looming war on its way to them.

She had never been more happy to have a conversation with Sesshomaru.

A hand landing on her shoulder jolted her from her inner thoughts, and she turned just enough to glance over her shoulder. She knew who it was before she even looked, but she had to pretend otherwise.

"Hey, hey!" Lance draped his arm over her shoulder and tugged her close against him. She could smell his cologne. Though the scent was faint, it was nice. "Whatcha up to? Daydreaming like usge?"

"Pfft," Kagome held back a snicker and flicked her hand a few times. "When do I ever daydream?"

"Literally every single day," Lance laughed at her denial. "You're always staring off into space in your own little world."

"Okay, maybe I'm a bit of a dreamer," she said before slipping out of his grasp. "I just have a lot on my mind all the time."

"Like what?"

She forced a smile and hoped he didn't see through it. "I'm not telling," she said and turned as she started to walk away. After a second, Lance fell into step behind her.

"Aww come on! You can tell me," Lance called after her, and Kagome laughed at his childish whine.

"As much as I would just _loooove_ to tell you, it's not gonna happen," she said, her tone edging on final. Not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't. She looked up at him, and she grinned when he pouted. "Come on, let's go find Hunk and Pidge!"

"Yeah, yeah," Lance said as he followed after her.

She turned her attention forward as she walked, leading the way for Lance to chase after her.

It wouldn't be much longer now.

This happy little life they all had here. It was so close to tumbling apart and getting replaced by the reality of war.

 _She wished she could tell them._

But she couldn't.

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Panda: SOOOOO yeah. I was contemplating heavily on making this. Like… I like the series and all, but I admit I have a love/hate relationship with it. Since the final season finally came out, why not.  
Penguin: Voltron: Legendary Defender is one of the shows Panda and I watch together, and we both like it a lot. (But, in saying that, there is a lot we dislike about it, too.)  
We don't have a specific pairing in mind for this story or anything, so if there is one you wanna see like let us know.  
ALSO I had the worst time trying to shorten the word "Usual." (I went with usge because there are too many spellings!)

 ** _Thank you for reading!  
Feedback is greatly appreciated!_**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: We don't own either series!

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Chapter 2

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"Get up." The cold, aloof voice pulled her attention up. Kagome lifted her head and let her blue eyes meet the frigid gold of Sesshomaru. She heaved a strained grunt as she pushed herself back up onto her feet, steadying herself with the help of the wall behind her.

"I never considered that," she growled out in blatant agitation. "I figured I'd stay on the ground."

"Put the energy you invest in being sarcastic and actually dodge properly," he responded. His voice remained a consistent level, even when he lunged in for another attack on her.

She blocked his intended strike with both arms before swinging her leg out to take his balance from him. "Yeah, that's more of a second nature by now, actually," she corrected. She ducked down to dodge the kick he sent her way a second later. "Eek!"

With her crouched on the ground, Sesshomaru stepped back and gave her the room she needed to stand back up. "Your attitude causes me physical pain. Were you aware of that?"

"Like you're a ray of sunshine," she muttered under her breath.

She stretched her arms up and felt her muscles cry in satisfaction. She gave a sigh and rubbed her sore wrist. The hit received from Sesshomaru had packed a wallop. It looked like their session today had concluded, and she couldn't suppress the sigh of relief that left her.

In return of getting her into the Galaxy Garrison, Sesshomaru had only one demand in return. For her to accept training from him. It was a simple thing she could agree to.

" _If you are going to be fighting in a war where your most common allies are humans, then you are to train under me. At least then I can be guaranteed that my involvement is not a waste."_

The memory of those words flowed through her mind. She never expected him to demand her comply to a condition like training under him. They had no connection. He had no reason to care about her chances of survival- well, not enough to try and raise those chances. She glanced over her shoulder at him, spotting him waiting patiently for her.

"Thank you…" she softly mumbled out, knowing he'd be able to hear it even at the quiet volume. Her words caught his attention, and he looked back at her, startled.

"For what?" That startled expression faded away before she could get a good look at it, but instead of prodding about it, she smiled up at him as she closed the short distance that had been placed between them.

"You have no genuine reason to care if I live or not when the war starts, yet you're so invested in training me," she explained. "I just wanted to say thank you before it's too late."

A smirk of pride appeared on his face as he turned away from her. It was a rare occurrence for his face to take on any form of emotion. Mayhaps she was just lucky today, or, maybe, even more believable than that, she was just imagining it all.

"I find it to be a shame someone with your strength and capability to be poorly trained," he said as she fell into step behind him. "If you're bound to throw away rational thinking, which you have done countless times in heated moments, you might as well have adequate fighting skills to fall back on."

Kagome could physically feel her mood spoil as he said that. She huffed and turned her head to the side. "You could have just said you wanted to make sure I had enough options."

"You complain far too much."

-.-.-.-

In the approaching last few days, she could feel her anxiety welling up inside her. Sesshomaru told her to pay it no mind unless she wanted someone to call her out on it.

At last, when _that_ day came, at last, she felt too restless. She was unable to stay in one place, which made completing test drills to be horrible on her part. Luckily enough, she hadn't been the only one to mess it up in her group. In one way or another, they all flunked it up.

She didn't care much for Iverson's yelling, so she tuned it out.

"-shi!"

" _Shut up…"_ she mumbled, half-way thinking she hadn't said it out loud. But she had. And it had been heard by a good chunk of everyone around her- including Iverson himself.

"Higurashi!"

The louder yell made her spine straighten, and she jumped at least two feet in the air. "I'm listening!" Her blank stare the following second disproved her statement, and a few lighthearted chuckles came from the observes- until they were hushed by a glare from Iverson.

So, she stood there as she feigned paying attention to his scolding and yelling until she heard his shout of "Dismissed!"

She could only imagine the words he had said at her when she felt the sympathetic looks from friends and classmates alike. As she had no inkling as to what he had said to her, she only shrugged and walked off.

To be fair, it wasn't her intention to be great at anything here. Being the top-ranked anything was the farthest thing from her mind. She wasn't unaware that the only reason she was still there was due to Sesshomaru's influence. She was often praised for her strategist nature, but that didn't hold a candle to Sesshomaru's involvement.

She wasn't down about being yelled at in front of everyone. With her thoughts preoccupied, she ran off to find the silver-haired demon before she lost her chance to speak with him.

She found him easily enough, and he waved her towards him- dismissing the other people who had held his attention in favor of her. Once no one was around them, Kagome let her attention drift up to meet his stare.

"I have one more thing to ask of you before I have to go," she said. He didn't speak in response, but she knew she had his undivided attention when he nodded at her. She let his silence encouragement guide her request. "When the war reaches Earth, I want you to find the families of us," she said, speaking about her and the ones who would be going with her. "Find them and bring them here where it will be safest."

"Is that all?" He sounded as though he had anticipated her to ask this of him. He probably had. She smiled and nodded.

"Just to be on the safe side."

"Then I will comply," he said. He accepted her request, and she breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time that entire day, her mind was clear enough for her to think.

"Thank you."

"I'm surprised you waited so long to ask."

"I wanted to, but I was preoccupied with other worries."

"Oh?"

She laughed, dry and humorless, as she looked back up at him to meet his eyes. His eyes widened when he saw the forlorn gleam in her eyes. "You know… I'm supposed to go down this path and do what is requested of me, but if I do that, so many people will die. I can think of many ways to save them, but I'm not supposed to." Silence reclaimed him as she spoke softly. "I fought with myself back and forth over this, but no more," she said as she shook her head to emphasize her denial. "If I'm to fight in this war, then I'm doing it the way I want to! I'm going to save everyone that I can. I refuse to let someone die when I'm the one who can save them."

She saw it then- a rare smile that she knew was really there. She knew she wasn't imaging it.

"I find your decision hardly surprising," he replied. "If Fate wanted it done their way then they should have chosen someone weak-willed, opposed to someone unafraid to carve their own path to make their voice known."

Kagome blinked in confusion. Had she heard that right? Had Sesshomaru actually given her a compliment? She had to take a moment to wrap her head around his words, but she soon ended up smiling out of flattery.

"Thank you for everything you've done to help me, and for all you will do when I can't," she said finally. She let herself dance back a few paces as she felt the minutes she could spend there dwindling away. "I'll see you when I make it back. Until then-"

"Take care," he finished for her, stealing the words she wanted to say and using them himself. A confident gleam filled her eyes as she nodded.

She excused herself at last, feeling at peace with her last conversation with Sesshomaru. She knew she could trust him to uphold his word. He would look after Earth while she couldn't. He would fight here when that time came.

Tonight, Shirogane Takashi would crashland on Earth. He will try to warn the others about the inbound aliens, only for them to put him to sleep and quarantine him. She decided to aptly call that moment " _The Catalyst._ "

She needed to meet up with Hunk, Lance, and Pidge before then. She spared one last glance over her shoulder, despite knowing Sesshomaru wouldn't be there when she looked back.

From this point on out, there would be no going back, and she was ready. Well, as ready as she could ever be.

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Panda: Honestly how do you guys feel about Lotor being with Kagome? I feel like he deserved better than he got in canon tbfh. It'll be later in the story, but who knows.  
Penguin: Meanwhile I'm stuck in pairing hell trying to decide who I want with her. Literally, every option sounds good to me.

 _ **Thanks for reading!  
Feedback is greatly appreciated!**_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: We don't own either series!

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Chapter 3

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She was wandering about for a moment or two before she was found by two of her three friends. At seeing her, Lance tossed an arm over her shoulder and tugged her next to him like he often did.

"Where have ya' been?" he asked as a grin broke out across his face when she lifted a hand to intertwine their fingers.

"I had to see Sesshomaru about something," she said with a weak shrug. "What, are you that lost without me?" she teased, a grin of her own appearing on her face when his cheeks took on a warm flush.

"Hey, so, what's your relationship with him?" Hunk asked. He stood on her other side. His question pulled her attention from Lance, though she soon heard the blue-eyed guy chime in with his own interest about it. "You two are like really close? But at the same time, not really? I dunno. Just seems kinda weird, y'know?"

"Oh!" Kagome willed her surprised expression away. She hadn't expected that question, and it had taken her by surprise. Soon after, she shook her head and shrugged again. "We knew each other back in Japan," she said. "I- I, uh, actually used to have a crush on his younger brother," she added on with an embarrassed laugh.

"So you guys are long-time friends?" Lance asked.

"Now, I wouldn't go that far," Kagome said, shaking her head to clear that. "He just doesn't hate me, and vice versa."

"Isn't it kinda awkward for you?" Hunk asked with a laugh. "I mean, you having a thing for his brother and all?" He paused and rubbed his chin as he thought something over. "You know what? I don't think I've ever heard you talk about having crushes."

"Not at all," she laughed, "I'm way over him, anyway." She felt a pang of nostalgia at remembering her feelings for Inuyasha, but she shook her head and looked up. "What do you mean? Of course, I've had crushes before! I just don't think they're important enough to tell people about."

"Oh, so does that mean I have a shot with you after all?" Lance asked. He sent her a smile that was intended to be charming. Long-since used to his playful nature towards so many people, she brushed that look off and pursed her lips together in a pout.

When he wagged his eyebrows at her, she rolled her eyes and swatted him away. "Don't be silly," she said as she began to lead them off. "I don't have time to think about things like that." She paused before whirling around with a grin on her face. "But that doesn't mean you can't ask again in, say… a few years!"

"Oh, come on!" Lance whined when she turned back around. "At least tell me how _many_ years that'll be."

She laughed, failing to bite down on her chuckles, as she skipped ahead. "No!"

-.-.-.-

It didn't take her long to find the location of Pidge.

The sea of stars called for her attention, and she turned her head up as she tuned out the chattering of the three with her. She wanted to participate, but she found the words dying on her tongue before she could get them out.

She heard Pidge mention Voltron, and she let her eyes drift closed. Any minute now, everything would start falling into play.

For a moment, she let herself pitch into the conversation, but before long an announcement was made for the entire campus and then some to hear.

" _ **Attention! We are currently in lockdown. All cadets are to remain in the barracks until further notice is given. This is not a test. I repeat this is not a test."**_

The breath she took filled her lungs. Her attention returned to the sky. In the distance, she could see a bright glow of the inbound escape pod Shiro was in. The ball of fire got bigger and bigger as it approached the ground.

"What… what's that?" Hunk asked as he stood back up. He pointed to the bright ball in the sky with a trembling hand. His worry was etched into his face. "A meteor? Someone please tell me that's just a meteor!"

Kagome shook her head, but she didn't say anything. Lance took the binoculars off of Pidge's neck and held them up to his face.

"Oh, no way!" he cried as he looked through them, gazing up at the pod. "That's an escape pod! It's definitely not one of ours."

"So- so, you mean aliens are really out there?" Hunk asked, "and they're coming here?!"

In the silence that fell between them they could hear the pod landing in the distance. It collided with enough force that the ground and buildings shook. Not even a full thirty seconds after, Garrison Officials were heading towards it.

Much like they had, the four made the decision to all sneak closer to it, despite Hunk's suggestion that it wasn't the best idea. Kagome patted his arm gently.

"Don't worry," she whispered as they all crouched down to hide behind large rocks, "it won't be that bad," she attempted to put him at ease, but she doubted it worked. The tent set up drew her attention.

Pidge was able to hack into their cameras to gain access to what was happening on the inside, and they all crowded together to see the screen.

" _What.. what do you think you're doing?!" Shiro fought against the grip on him. "Did you not hear me? You_ _ **have**_ _to listen to me!"_

" _We need you to settle down Shiro," Iverson said. "We have to keep you quarantined here for the time being. We have some tests we have to run on you."_

" _No! You're not listening to me!" He continued to fight against his binds, growing more frenzied by the second. "These things destroy worlds, and they're coming here now!"_

Seeing him so desperate yet going unheard to made her upset. He was trying so hard to give them a warning, but they refused to listen to a single thing coming from him.

"Hey, that's Shiro!" Lance said, pointing at the screen when he saw his face. "He was the pilot of the Kerberos Mission. Man, that guy's my hero! What's with how they're treating him?"

"If he's alive, then what about the rest of the crew?" Pidge questioned out loud. Their voice carried concern and hope.

Kagome wanted to tell Pidge anything she could, but she had to manage with a weak encouragement. "If Shiro made it, then I'm sure the others did too. We have no reason to think otherwise."

Nothing else was said as they turned back to the screen as the voices rose again.

" _Shiro, do you have any idea how long you've been gone?"_

" _I- I don't know! There isn't any time for this!" he shouted back. "Aliens are coming here. They're looking for a weapon- they're looking for Voltron! We have to get it first, or they'll destroy us!"_

As Iverson turned away from Shiro, who still struggled against his binds, he didn't seem to be listening to any of Shiro's pleas.

"They won't listen to him," Kagome said. "We have to get him out of there," she said as she looked away from the monitor in agitation.

"Yeah," Lance nodded. "He's a legend, but they're just gonna treat him and his return like this? They should be taking him more seriously."

"But how are we gonna do that?" Pidge asked. "We need a plan."

"Or, or-" Hunk cut in, "we can head back to the barracks because this sounds like an awful idea."

Before any other ideas could get tossed out, a series of explosions caused all of them to jump from their huddle.

"What was that?!" Hunk asked, stepping back and further away from where the noise had come from.

"That was what we needed," Kagome said.

"It was a distraction- for him!" Pidge said, pointing a finger in the direction of someone heading towards the setup. He was using them to lure most of the people away so he could sneak in.

Lance looked through the binoculars and let out a disgruntled noise. "Not him!" he said as he looked away. "That guy… he's not gonna one-up me this time. Let's go!"

"Wait," Pidge said, confused. "Who are you talking about?"

"Keith!" Lance shouted as he chucked the binoculars away. Hunk reacted with shock, and Pidge with confusion at who Keith even was.

"Huh? Keith? Oh, _no way_ ," she muttered back, trying hard to act surprised at something she had been waiting to go down. Even she could admit that she sounded less than enthusiastic, but her flat tone wasn't noticed due to the commotion going on in the distance. As Hunk and Pidge ran off after Lance, the latter still inquiring as to who Keith even was, she was left with no other option than to run after them.

"No going back," she muttered to herself. She said the words that had been ringing through her mind since she bid Sesshomaru a farewell. Still, even though she said them, that finalization did nothing to ease the hammering of her heart.

This was _really_ happening, and she was heading into it head-first.

She shook her head and ran faster.

Her nerves could be soothed later. Right now, she needed to focus on getting Shiro out of the Garrison's hands.

She dove between her friends, using her short height to her advantage. She was also much faster than them, and she could thank her past adventures for her strengthened stamina.

She didn't have to pay any attention to where she was going, but she still found her way. A large body invaded her line of sight, his back blocking her way.

"Oi!" she shouted. Her voice carried, and it successfully stole his attention to her. He turned around and was just about to reach for her when she swung her leg up and knocked him into the wall beside them. She hopped over his slumped body, barely acknowledging Lance's whistle of amazement as she kept running ahead.

Another entered her line of sight, but before she could do anything to get his attention, he fell back and hit the ground. His fall left her standing across the second person she had been waiting to show up.

"What are you doing?" An unfamiliar voice caused her to look away from dark eyes, and she spotted another guard. An annoyed huff came from her.

"Ugh, I got this guy," she said as she turned away from Keith. "You just- you just do your thing," she told him as she flicked her hand. He looked hesitant for a few seconds, but he soon got over it when she flung the guard much larger than her into the wall behind her.

Now she was really glad for Sesshomaru's training- even if this wasn't what it was meant for. She doubted he'd have any complaints about it, anyway.

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Panda: I may be liking the idea of Lotor with Kagome, but I can't say Lance/Kagome doesn't sound cute, too. I really love him (one of my favorites.) And, yea, the chapters will get longer.  
Penguin: Keith and Kagome is also an option. Honestly, with how they both are, I think it'd be cute. For now, those are three options we have rolling around between us right now. (and you wonder why I'm stuck in pairing hell… lol)

 _ **If we don't update again before the New Year, we hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday!  
From us to you, Happy Winter Solstice!**_

 _ **Thanks for reading!  
Feedback is greatly appreciated!**_


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